Bicycle Buying Advice

[JB]

This is a response I sent to someone who'd asked about what kind of bike to buy for commuting, and how Bikerowave could help him get it set up.

This is my response, which has some decent info on what to look for in a used bike.

Please add additional bike buying comments / advice / etc. in this thread.

____________________________

Hello,

You have many options when it comes to putting together a commuter bike, and the Bikerowave will be happy to help.

Our stock of bikes and frames is fairly limited and variable at the moment.  Your best bet is probably checking out craigslist and buying a complete used bike. (Building a bike from the frame out is tremendous fun, but the parts add up quickly, so unless you really want the experience, a complete bike is the way to go.)

For commuting, you've got a few options.

An old "ten-speed" style road bike is probably the standard way to go.  Make sure it's got horizontal drop-outs and a 3 piece crank, and a singlespeed conversion can be as simple as removing the cogset from the rear wheel, removing one of the chainrings, and adding a new chain or shortening the old one.

Of course, since it is so easy, and the singlespeed / fixed gear craze shows no sign of abating, you may find it tricky to find a complete older road bike for anything like a reasonable price, since everybody wants to build a conversion. (You will see plenty of frames going cheaply though, because people get them stripped down, then realized how much it would cost to build them up into something nice, and gave up.)

If you're OK with gears, you may be able to find a newer roadbike with modern components for a reasonable sum.

If you really want a singlespeed, and you're on a budget, you may want to keep an eye out for an older, rigid frame (no suspension) mountain bike, as these are all over craigslist for less than $100.  If you can find one with horizontal dropouts, a 3 piece crank and a threaded freewheel rear wheel (instead of a freehub), you can make the conversion easily, and if you add some road tires, you'll have a bulletproof commuter with plenty of character. (You can always use a chain tensioner if you can't find horizontal dropouts, but they're pretty suboptimal aesthetically.) One of these is probably going to be my next project, as I think they look really cool. (See, e.g. http://velospace.org/files/DSCN9678.JPG )  They're not very fast though, so if that's a concern, a roadbike is preferable.

If, after reading this, you're thinking it might be good to look into something new, check some of the local bike shops (Palms Cycles, Wheel World, Performance Bike) as they sometimes have decent deals.  bikesdirect.com has some adequate singlespeeds / fixies at good prices as well.

It all depends on how much time / effort / money you want to put into building the bike.

Some brands I'd try to avoid are (this is strictly a personal statement, there are plenty of people who've put plenty of miles on them, but I'd steer clear of them):

Huffy (except the Serotta Huffys, which are very desirable)
Murray
Magna
Roadmaster
Free Spirit
Pacific
Motiv
Next
GMC Denali
Iron Horse
Flying Pigeon
French bikes (the ones made in France, the ones made in Asia are usually OK)

Also try to avoid cottered cranks, 1 piece cranks, and anything that looks like an obvious basket case. Bikes are VERY EASY to get emotionally invested in, so do your homework beforehand.

If you need more info about basic bike mechanics, check out www.sheldonbrown.com, as that's a great resource with most of the info you'll need.

Whatever you choose, Bikerowave will be happy to help you build it up or tune it up.

Good luck!

[MichaelOh]

Hi,

If you previously bought a bike from Sergio, call Santa Monica Police Department Henry Ramirez, Sergeant, Criminal Investigations, Santa Monica Police Department, (310) 458-8453

Today is April 19, 2010. I bought my first bicycle on April 16, 2010, since my tricycle my dad bought me when I was toddler. I got it from craigslist. The seller's name is Sergio, was in Santa Monica. 819 Michigan Avenue, Apartment #A, Santa Monica, CA. his phone numbers are (323) 205-5059 (probably home phone or skype phone number with voicemail capability) advertised on craigslist, and personal phone cell phone number (323) 608-1151. He has long wavy hair pony tailed, with mustache, attends Santa Monica College and business student and foreign student on F-1 Visa, makes living by selling bicycle for cash only on craigslist, he sells brand new GT i-Drive for $1695, and sold me a green Santa Cruz Built for $1400, and sells 10 other bicycle from $500-$1600 CASH ONLY out of his two bedroom apartment in Santa Monica on Lincoln (PCH 1) and Michigan off 10 WEST and Lincoln Exit. He drives a white Subaru sedan. Santa Monica Police Department Henry Ramirez, Sergeant, Criminal Investigations, Santa Monica Police Department, (310) 458-8453 is investing his case in suspicion of recent stolen bikes. Otherwise, I love my bicycle from Sergio.  and I want to learn how to fix my bicycle at Bikerowave. I found out about this organization from an honest seller who gave me more information about the bicycle parts he bought from you guyz on swapmeet day and he built his first bike from your shop using those parts and he is excited to sell me the bicycle for $250 on craigslist as well.

I would like to attend future bicycle clinic to learn how to fix and repair my bicycle and maintain it please.

Sincerely,

Michael Oh, College Student, and Advocating Anti-Theft of Bicycles in West LA area.
562-650-1240

[Joe Bayes]

I've decided that it's time to retire my current ride, a 15 year old Univega Activa Trail hybrid that I've been riding for several years. I'm very happy with it, except for the part where it keeps breaking. It currently needs a new chainring, rear hub, probably a new freewheel, and perhaps some frame straightening (unless the guy at Helens was BSing me in order to CYA.) And I'm guessing that's going to be a lot of money and time to invest in something that keeps breaking.

(As an aside -- after I bent the axle of a brand new hub, the guy at Helens mentioned that I have an old-style freewheel, which requires an old-style hub, and old-style hubs all have only 2 rings of bearings while the newer style has 3 rings, and fat dudes like me need all 3 rings. Was he trying to tell me that I need a cassette freehub? Is the part about 2 vs 3 rings of bearings being unavailable on older hubs true?)

I weigh 260, which is apparently enough to shred most ordinary mortal bikes. I need handlebars that are shoulder-width or wider and slightly higher than the saddle (no drop bars, no racing bikes). I want gears, but no shocks. I don't really need fenders/chainguard/basket/yadda yadda. I fetch groceries and go on 15-20 mile rides; nothing off-road, nothing that would require lycra or shaving parts of my body that men don't normally shave. And I need something that's durable as all hell; I want to ride more and repair less.

So, with a budget of $700 or so, do you have any recommendations of what to look for? Given my current bike's repair record, I'm leaning towards buying new if I can find what I need rather than converting another old hybrid. I've heard that chromoly frames hold up better than aluminum; how high a priority should I put on a chromoly frame? If I buy new, are there any brands that have a reputation for durability?

[Dan/R]

1)  Steel 100%.  You should definitely buy a Cromolly frame.  Aluminum and carbon frames are built for speed (read: racing) and not durability.  See: http://www.rivbike.com/article/bicycle_making/the_big_picture

2)  I see what the guy at Helens was trying to tell you about hubs.  It's not so much the number of bearings but the placement of them.  Cassette hubs have bearings that are closer to the dropouts, evenly spreading the load.  See: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html.

3)  Your tires should be no smaller than 35 C.  This will help to cushion your ride and reduce wear.

4)  Internal-gear hubs have less speeds and weigh a bit more, but they make your drivetrain much simpler and require almost no maintenance.  See:  http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_i-k.html#internal

5)  Make sure you've got your frame size right.  See:  http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2010/09/frame-fit.html

6)  If you want to buy new, I think a Velo Orange Polyvalent kit would be a great buy for you.  http://www.velo-orange.com/vopomfr.html & http://www.velo-orange.com/powmibukit.html  We can order that through the shop and would love to help you put it together.

[JB]

http://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm - This bike is going to be tough to beat for $599 if you want something new and chromoly framed.

Modern aluminum is plenty strong, so durability isn't the issue. Steel has a little more spring in it than aluminum, which makes for a much more pleasant ride.

If you want something stiff and fast, aluminum will be fine.

260 is not too much for most bikes. I outweigh you by a fair bit (for now), and haven't had any unusual problems. Most road bikes (with few exceptions) are OK to 300lbs or so.

If you want something really comfortable, you can buy another hybrid bike, or get a mountain bike with no suspension and then throw a set of road tread tires on.

Most non-department store brands will be pretty solid.

ALL bikes will need regular maintenance, especially if you're riding on L.A. streets.

If I were you, I'd go to a bike shop and test as many bikes as possible, and figure out what style you like, then use the internet to figure out where the best deals are.

[silver]

I agree with the comments here with one slight addition.

Although 260 is not too much for most frames it will give many cheaper/lighter wheelsets a run for their money.   Spoke count is a decent proxy for durability, and I'd look for wheels with at least 32 spokes. 36 spokes, particularly on the rear wheel, would be even better.

 

[kp]

If I were you, I'd go to a bike shop and test as many bikes as possible, and figure out what style you like, then use the internet to figure out where the best deals are.

When you work in brick and mortar, that really sucks.

[JB]

You're right KP, it IS rude to go into a shop and test bikes with no intention of buying them.

What do you think the best approach for someone who knows little about bikes is, if he or she wants to get a good deal on a bike that fits and meets his/her riding style?

[Joe Bayes]

Thanks very much for the advice.

I saw your suggestion for an internal hub, and the more I thought about it, the more I biked the idea. Of course, they don't make too many bikes with internal hubs, and most bikes are aluminum now, so finding a steel bike with an internal hub is pretty difficult. I did take a look at the bikes you recommended, but the Velo Orange would be pricey with an internal hub (and I'd really rather buy a complete bike; I've done enough tinkering and fixing stuff lately), and the Tourist is a drop-bar and external gearing.

For the benefit of anybody else in my position, here are the models I found that caught my eye:

The Novara Transfer from REI was the only all-steel internally-geared flat-bar bike I could find. It comes with a 7-speed, and although I'd prefer an 8-speed (306% gear ratio as opposed to 244%, plus Sheldon Brown liked the 8 "much better" and who am I to argue with him?), a 7 will do. I don't need all the knobs and gongs, but they detach and it should be easy to swap out the dynamo front hub for a regular wheel. As of now, I'm leaning towards the Novara. If they still have it in my size.
http://www.rei.com/product/791145

The Motobecane Cafe Express 8 is the cheapest option, with a Nexus 8 speed. But the frame is aluminum.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/cafe_express8.htm

The Jamis Commuter 3, also aluminum, has a Nexus 7. I don't really need the dynamo front hub and light (LED's work great and the batteries last forever), but that should be easy to switch out.
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/commuter/10_commuter3.html

Nirve makes a couple internal-gear bikes. The 8-speed version is a little pricey, but the 7-speed isn't bad. But the manufacturer's description is a little sketchy; it doesn't give a tire/rim width, and while the "3 main tubes" are chromoly, it doesn't say what the stays are made of. (Cardboard, maybe?)
http://www.bikemania.biz/Nirve_Brookhurst_Men_s_Commuting_7_Speed_Road_Bike_p/nirve_38xx_brookhurst.htm
http://www.bikemania.biz/Nirve_Fairfax_Men_s_Commuting_8_Speed_Road_Bike_p/nirve_38xx_fairfax.htm

So hopefully I can test-ride the Novara if they have one locally, and then go from there.

[kp]

Novara fusion has alfine 8 (best internal Shimano has to offer) and is a lot of bike for the money. I only wish it had a steel frame and fork.
http://www.rei.com/product/774422
On sale too.

[wes]

this is pretty good advice; thanks guys (and gals).

[Johnny1981]

Hi, I’m new at Bikerowave, and I hope that someone can help me out with this dilemma.

I’m considering buying a new mountainbike at: Coop - Cykler, but I’m uncertain as to why there is a difference in size guides from Europe and the US. (I’m from Denmark).

I checked out the size guide at the webshop and then, just to be sure, I checked out some American ones as well, but the sizes don’t match.

At ebicycle an inseam of 80 cm corresponds to a bikesize of 18” (or 45 cm), but if I check out the size guide on the Danish site, then an inseam of 80 cm corresponds to a bike size of 56-57 cm.

So which one should I listen to?

I hope someone can help.

Thanks.

[JB]

Hi, I’m new at Bikerowave, and I hope that someone can help me out with this dilemma.

I’m considering buying a new mountainbike at: Coop - Cykler, but I’m uncertain as to why there is a difference in size guides from Europe and the US. (I’m from Denmark).

I checked out the size guide at the webshop and then, just to be sure, I checked out some American ones as well, but the sizes don’t match.

At ebicycle an inseam of 80 cm corresponds to a bikesize of 18” (or 45 cm), but if I check out the size guide on the Danish site, then an inseam of 80 cm corresponds to a bike size of 56-57 cm.

So which one should I listen to?

I hope someone can help.

Thanks.

The bike sites you're looking at are giving you apples and oranges.

In the modern era of cycling, in America anyway, mountain bikes and hybrids are measured in inches, to avoid confusion with road bike sizing. Mountain bikes and hybrids have a higher bottom bracket and therefore the seat tube is somewhat shorter, giving you a smaller measurement.

Road bikes have a lower bottom bracket and a longer seat tube, and are generally measured in centimeters.

(The measurement that most bikes are based on is the measurement between the center of the bottom bracket and the center or top of the top tube.)

Due to the differences in geometry between the bikes, the same person, e.g. you, could ride a 56cm road bike and an 18" mountain bike.

At least, this is how the bike measurements are done in America, I am unsure if Denmark uses the inch / cm difference as well, or if they have a different measuring system.

It looks like the MTBs you're looking at at the COOP come in one size, and from using Google Translate, I got the following:

"Frame size on a mountain bike is 52 cm, which suits people with a height of 155 to 190 cm with a stride length of 73 to 90 cm."

Hope this helps.

[SEA ELECTRIC]

  Hey, I have been riding bikes for a long time, racing bmx and riding Cross country, freeride, downhill and motocross. I have been wanting to make a fixed gear trick /jumping bike.

Does anyone have any suggestions goin about this? Is it worth it to Use my schwinn homegrown hardtail mountainbike and convert it to a trick fixie? If so, should i go about the 700c wheelset or go with my instincts and go with the 26 inch rims.

Im interested to come back into bikerowave and start working on it tonight. If someone could possibly help me out by heading me in the right direction of advice , i can anxiously get started on my rigid hardtail trick conversion fixed gear.

Thanks a ton for reading and or responding to my post.
 

[JB]

Hey Sea Electric.

It is probably not worth using your existing Schwinn Homegrown Hardtail, unless you want to throw a fair bit of money at it, for dubious results.

The main problems/things you would need are the following:

1. A fixed gear rear wheel in either 26" or 700c sizes. If you get the 700c, you probably won't be able to use your rear brake, which may be a moot point if you want to run it brakeless, but if you want a brake, you'll have to get a new one. You'll also need that fixed gear rear wheel to have an eccentric hub. Since your MTB most likely has vertical dropouts (unlike a fixed gear bike, which has horizontal / track dropouts to allow you to move the wheel backward and forward), in order to assure the proper chain tension, you'll need a hub that allows you to move the wheel forward or backward slightly. (A White Industries eccentric rear hub runs about $175, and then you'll need the rim and spokes and cog and lockring to make the complete rear wheel, and then you'll either need to spend several hours building the wheel, or pay someone to do it.)

2. A new track crank. Your existing crank with 3 chainrings might work, but it would look a lot cleaner with a track crank / bottom bracket. A track crank starts at about $39.99 and a bottom bracket starts at about $15, and they go up from there.

3. You may want a new non-suspension front fork to save weight.

All of this would probably run you a couple of hundred bucks just in parts, and would leave you with a fairly mediocre and overweight fixie.

Alternately, you could buy a brand new fixie as low as $199 (http://store.citygrounds.com/store/product/7801/2011-SE-Draft-Lite-Complete-Bike-Purple/), or you could buy a more trick oriented fixie for about $499 (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/se/dc_pkripper.htm).

If you are determined to convert your existing bike into a fixie, it would probably help you to find the parts first, then bring it into the bikerowave for assembly.

Good luck!